A billiard game machine disclosed in JP 2000-93655 A is one of game machines of this kind. To play billiards by the billiard game machine, a player operates a dummy cue to strike a cue ball placed on a billiard table so that the cue ball hits against an object ball to pocket the object ball.
When playing actual billiards, a player brings the tip of a cue close to a cue ball, withdraws the cue, and then thrusts the cue out toward the cue ball. The aforesaid known billiard game machine does not require such a preparatory operation and requires the player to thrust out the dummy cue simply toward the cue ball. Consequently, the player of the billiard machine has a sensation entirely different from that the player will have when the player plays the actual billiards, and hence is unable to have a realistic sensation.
When a player addresses a golf ball in playing golf, the player repeats a waggle, i.e., a preliminary swinging of a golf club to move the golf club head back and forth, in preparing for a shot, and then swings the golf club for a shot. Any golf game machines capable of simulating such an action have not been available.
Moreover, there have not been any game machines capable of changing the color, the shape and such of a cue or a golf club displayed by a display means according to such a preparatory action.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing disadvantages of known game machines and to provide an improved game machine and a method of controlling an image displaying operation to be executed by the game machine.